The Harmony of Obsession

Chapter 4

"In my life, too, there are days, hours, weeks, aye, and months, in which everything looks black, when I am tormented by the thought that I am forsaken, that no one cares for me."

—— Tchaikovsky; Nov. 8th 1876, Letter to Aleksandra Davydova

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It was just a typical Tuesday in the mellow winter. The semester was almost over; everyone was busy practicing and studying for their upcoming finals. Brett could literally smell the intensity and the peer-pressure floating in the air. After finishing his morning classes and spending two hours practicing outdoors since he couldn't find an empty practice room, Brett pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 1:07 pm. He decided to grab a quick lunch then go to the library to finish up the final essay for his music theory class before catching the bus to the rehearsal venue with Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) in the late afternoon.

Brett wasn't surprised at all when he saw the cafeteria was full of people. Apparently, the campus dining peak also got moved back due to the arrival of the exam period. He spent almost 5 minutes wandering around the dining hall like a headless chicken and eventually found an empty seat in the corner booth, but the other side was already taken.

"Excuse me, do you mind me to sit here?" Brett felt a bit awkward when he had to interact with people on his own initiative. Maybe he should just buy a sandwich and eat outside. The person with his headphones looked up from his phone, and Brett immediately recognized him. Ray Chen, the legendary prodigy from year two. "No, of course, I don't mind."

"Thanks." Brett sat down in relief after expressing his gratitude. He ate in silence and couldn't help but think about how Ray impressed the entire class and Professor Chen with his insightful response a few weeks ago.

Professor Chen... Brett slowly picked up a french fry from the serving tray and was about to put in his mouth. He hadn't seen that man for about two weeks. "What was I doing last Tuesday? Oh, right, the orchestral rehearsal," Brett thought to himself. Last week, it was almost 11 pm after his orchestral rehearsal. He went straight back to his dorm without a second thought.

Wait, today is Tuesday! A tiny smile escaped from his lips when Brett realized he could encounter with Eddy that evening again.

"Bro, you French fry is dropping." The voice across the table dragged him out of his thought. "Ah, sorry." Brett's face was burning from awkwardness and found Ray was staring at him with interest. He tried to finish his meal as fast as possible but to his surprise, Ray continued the conversation.

"Sleep-deprived? Too stressed from finals? I saw you have been spacing out for a while."
Brett nodded along with his words and said: "C'est la vie. It's just the life of a first-year student. Too many papers and still need to practice."

Ray burst into laughter and replied: "Dude, trust me; it only gets WORSE. By the way, I'm Ray, and I am a sophomore from the violin program." He friendly reached out his hand.

"Oh, hi, I'm Brett. I'm a first-year also from the violin program." Brett pretended as if it were his first time meeting this person and smiled while shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Who's your advisor, I am just curious," Ray asked.

"Johnathan Morris," Brett said.

"He is a tough one but actually really sweet after you got to know him. I am taking his string ensemble class this semester." Ray playfully winked his eyes.

"Agreed. He only looks overwhelming. He is picky musical-wise as he should be. And also, do you have any course recommendations? The course registration will start next week, but I still don't know what to take for my electives."